Dr Erika Brady

I joined CCCU in September 2021 as a Lecturer in Policing, bringing my research expertise in the area of counter-terrorism and terrorism studies, as well as my teaching experience in International Relations, to the practical world of Policing and Criminal Justice. In March 2022 I became the Deputy Course Director of BSc Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime course. I am currently designing the curriculum for a new MSc Counter-Terrorism and Security and I am also designing a Short Course/CPD provision on Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism. I am also actively involved in the integration of the Hydra Simulation Suite at CCCU and am part of an inter-disciplinary group aiming to integrate Hydra simulations into a range of modules and apply the Hydra Simulation to extra-curricular activities.

I carried out my PhD research at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) in the University of St Andrews. My thesis was titled 'Assessing Counter-Terrorism Strategies through a Mixed Methods Research Design: The Case of CONTEST in the UK'. I was involved in many different projects during my time at the University of St Andrews and CSTPV, including Guest Editor for a Special Issue of the Journal of Terrorism Research which was published in February 2017. I was also a Teaching Assistant (Teaching Contingency Scheme) for two undergraduate modules (Approaches to Counterterrorism and Conflict and Intervention in World Politics) for the Spring 2021 Semester. As well as being a Teaching Assistant for the CSTPV e-Learning course, I designed and presented an e-resource on Academic Writing Skills for the Certificate in Terrorism Studies online course. I was an Associate Fellow for the Centre of Global Law and Governance while completing my PhD and was nominated for a Teaching Award in the 2018/19 Academic Year under the category of ‘Postgraduate Student who Tutors’. I also received a Staff Policing Award for Professionalism, Innovation and Creativity in December 2022 for my expansion of the Counter-Terrorism provision at all levels in the School of Law, Policing and Social Sciences.

I teach two modules at undergraduate level: Introduction to Terrorism and Political Violence and Policing Terrorism and Political Violence in the UK. I am also involved in the development of a range of extra-curricular activities such as day trips, simulation exercises and roundtable speaker events.

I look in particular at the evaluation of counter-terrorism strategies from a mixed-methods approach. I also study terrorism and political violence and security more widely, and look for ways to connect these interests to International Relations, Foreign Policy Analysis and Security Studies. I am always interested in new research opportunities, particularly inter-disciplinary projects. Here is a selection of some of my publications to date:

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

•    Chapter Contribution: Counter-Terrorism in Wood, D., Bradshaw, S., Dickens, T., Parker-McLeod, J., Simpson, F., and Weaver, G. (eds) (2022) Blackstone’s Handbook for Policing Students 2023, Oxford University Press, Oxford UK.  

•    Contributor to: Wood, D., Bradshaw, S., Dickens, T., Parker-McLeod, J., Simpson, F., and Weaver, G. (eds) (2022) Blackstone’s Handbook for Policing Students 2023, Oxford University Press, Oxford UK.  

•    Brady, E. & Marsden, S. (2021) Women and Preventing and Countering Violence Extremism Interventions, CREST Report. Available at: https://crestresearch.ac.uk/resources/women-and-preventing-and-countering-violent-extremism-interventions/  

•    Brady, E., 1 Jan 2019, Trends and tactics, Safety and Security International, p. 10-13  

•    Brady, E., 1 May 2018, Grounds for Optimism, Safety and Security International, 2018, 3, p. 6-9.

•    Brady, E., 1 Nov 2017, After ISIS, Safety and Security International, 2017, 06, p. 18-20.

•    Brady, E., 1 Jan 2017, An analysis of patterns of change arising from the Syrian conflict: Islamic terrorism, refugee flows and political destabilization in Europe, Journal of Terrorism Research. Volume 8 (1), p. 53-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15664/jtr.1298

•    Brady, E., 10 Oct 2016, An Analysis of the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy, CONTEST, and the Challenges in its Evaluation, Sicherheitspolitik-Blog. Available at: https://www.sicherheitspolitik-blog.de/2016/10/10/an-analysis-of-the-uks-counter-terrorism-strategy-contest-and-the-challenges-in-its-evaluation/

I am currently an AFHEA and am on track to received full fellowship status in 2023. I have presented at numerous conferences, workshops and smaller meetings, contributing the wider discussions on counter-terrorism from both an academic and a policy perspective. Below is a selection of these activities:  

CONFERENCES AND PRESENTATIONS

•    Presentation: Developing New Ways to Understand Counter-Terrorism Strategies, Society for Terrorism Research 6th Annual Postgraduate Conference ‘Current Themes in the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence’, 6 May 2022, hosted at the Institute of Policing Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent.

•    Panel Chair: Panel Title ‘Strategies Considered’, Society for Terrorism Research 6th Annual Postgraduate Conference ‘Current Themes in the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence’, 6 May 2022, hosted at the Institute of Policing Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent.

•    Invited Panel Speaker: Women and P/CVE Interventions, Home Office Workshop: Presentation of CREST Report (see below), 9 September 2021, Online  

•    Invited Panel Speaker: PhD Research Panel, CSTPV Postgraduate Workshop, 14 February 2020, St Andrews

•    Discussant: Panel - Everyday Consequences and Practices of (Counter) Terrorism, School of International Relations and CSTPV Graduate Conference, 25 April 2019, St Andrews

•    Invited Speaker: Applying Mixed Methods of Complex Phenomenon: Evaluating the UK's CONTEST Strategy, CSTPV Postgraduate Workshop, 12 February 2019, St Andrews

•    Invited Speaker: The Prevent Duty in Universities: Lessons Learned Three Years On, International Security Expo: Education Security Conference, 28 November 2018, London.

•    Conference Presentation: Assessing the UK's Counter-Terrorism Strategy: Benefits, Challenges and Perspectives, International Political Science Association (IPSA) Annual Congress, 22-25 July 2018, Brisbane

•    Invited Speaker: Research Ethics, CSTPV Postgraduate Workshop, 12 February 2018, St Andrews

•    Invited Speaker: Does Prevent Work: Evaluating the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy, Workshop: Islamic Radicalisation in Europe, Centre for Strategic and Defence Studies of the National University of Public Services and the Migration Research Institute, 6 December 2017, Budapest.